Avatar: The Legend of Atka - Book 2
by QuietDove
Summary: READ BOOK 1 FIRST! Following the fall of the Fire Nation to the Phoenix Cult, an injured Atka is taken to the Fire Nation Colonies ; where an alliance is forming to combat the threat from two fronts.
1. Allies and Enemies

**Chapter 1: Allies and Enemies**

Atka began to stir, he'd had a bad dream, his eyes shot open but he didn't recognise the place he was in. It was a large, clean room that looked very well done up. Atka was in a large bed and a vase of flowers stood next to it, a large window looked put over a large garden and a town beyond that.

The door began to open and a girls voice came through it, "Yeah, I'll just check on him now…" Akeme walked in and a huge smile broke out as she noticed Atka sitting up under the sheets. "You're awake!" she said loudly as she ran up and threw her arms around his neck.

Atka was confused, "Akeme? What's going on here?"

Akeme released the hug and perched on the edge of the bed, "We're in the Colonies capital city of Yu Dao, my dad will explain a bit more later"

The door opened again and a grey haired lady wearing a Water Tribe tunic walked in, "Did you say he was awake?" she said

It was Atka's turn to smile, "Kya! What are you doing here?" he tried to get up but found he could hardly move his legs.

Kya walked up to him and gave him a quick hug; "I'm doing a favour for some old friends! And don't overexert yourself, you've been through an intense period of healing over the last week"

Atka's eyes opened wide, "A week?" he said with shock.

Akeme's face had a tinge of sadness in it, "You've been unconscious ever since we left the Fire Nation, there were some points where we didn't think you were going to pull through…" she stopped herself from choking up.

"Maybe this is too much for you at the moment, you should get a bit of rest. We'll wake you up before dinner" Kya went towards the door, followed by Akeme.

Atka called after them, "Wait! What happened in the Fire Nation?"

Kya and Akeme stopped dead, "You don't remember?" Akeme asked

Atka shook his head, "The last thing I can remember was us getting ready to go to the Fire Festival, everything after that is blank"

Kya and Atka looked at each other concernedly, "We'll tell you later, for now you should rest" Kya said. "I have to see to Zuko now, I'll see you later Atka". She made her way to the door, "You better leave as well Akeme, leave him to sleep".

Akeme smiled kindly at Atka and followed Kya out of the door.

They quietly shut the door behind themselves and walked on the landing of the large house they were in.

Akeme spoke with sadness, "He doesn't remember…"

Kya put her arm around the teenage princess, "Don't worry too much Akeme, I'll do all I can to get his memory back"

"Thank you Kya, I know you have a lot on your plate at the moment so I appreciate it" she smiled at Kya

"Its my pleasure!" she stopped outside a door, "I better see to your grandfather, why don't you go and tell the others that Atka's awake?" she opened the door and walked in, "Good morning Zuko!" she said cheerfully, and closed the door behind her.

/

 _"_ _Winter, spring, summer and fall"_ sang Kann, playing his lute under the large tree in the garden.

"That was the wrong note" Masaru said putting his book down.

Kann shot an annoyed look at him, "I haven't practiced in a while ok!" he tuned his lute, "This is the first time I've played in, like, four years"

"And it shows" said Masaru

"Do you want a go then!" Kann shouted

Masaru stood up, "Why have you been so angry lately?" he said back loudly

Kann stood in front of Masaru, only a couple of inches from his face, "Why have you been so annoying lately?" he said back

"Maybe its because you've been shouting at me all the time!" Masaru said back crossing his arms

"Well I wouldn't do that if you weren't nit-picking everything I do!" Kann said back

Akeme stepped outside and walked over to Kann and Masaru, "Guys stop shouting!" she said as she stepped between them

They both looked at her with scowls on their faces but they soon softened as they turned away from each other.

"Seriously, what's the problem between you two at the moment?" Akeme asked

Kann tutted, "Ask Mr Know-it-all over there, he's a master of folk music!"

Masaru shot back, "Well then Lord Anger Issues, why don't you just go and learn how to play that thing on your own away from anyone! You might get it in 100 years or so!"

Akeme put her hand on her forehead, "Are you saying that a bloody lute has got you into this argument!" she picked the lute up and snapped the neck off, "There, now please stop fighting all the time! Believe it or not it can get quite tiresome for the rest of us!"

Masaru turned around to face Kann's back, "She's right, we have to stop fighting. Lets work our way around this Kann"

Kann still faced away, "Its not that simple though is it. We've been at each other ever since we got here"

"What are you saying?" Masaru asked sadly

Kann looked down, "Lets end it Mas, its just not working" he felt tears forming

Akeme put her hand out, "No, don't do that"

Kann turned around in anger, "You don't understand! Your boyfriend's been in a coma for a week! You haven't had a chance to argue in that time! In fact, I doubt you've ever had the chance to argue with a boyfriend because you've never had one before!"

Akeme felt herself choking up, "Atka isn't my boyfriend…"

Kann continued his barrage, "Oh right! So why don't you tell me why you've been checking him every hour of the day and crying when you find out he's still asleep. And while you're at it you can tell me why you kissed him at the Fire Festival"

Akeme looked surprised, "How did you know that?"

Kann crossed his arms triumphantly, "I didn't, but you've just admitted it"

"You, lying, idiotic, immature…Gah!" Akeme shouted, "I hate you! You can break up with Mas for all I care, the further from me you are the better!"

Kann closed in on Akeme, "You hate me do you?" he grinned menacingly, "Go on then, I'm open, just shoot some fire at me"

Akeme looked him in the eye, "What are you trying to achieve here?"

"Nothing" said Kann shortly

Akeme stared him up some more, "I know what you're trying to do. You're taking everything out on me, all your anger at Mas. You want me to punish you because you feel guilty, and you don't want Mas to do it" she took a step back, "But I'm above that, I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of being punished"

Kann turned back around as tears began to flow, "Fine" he said as he looked over his shoulder, "I'm angry at everyone, especially you Princess…"

Akeme looked angrily at Kann, "Princess?" she said

Kann turned back around, "Yeah, Princess, that's what you are. A spoilt, girly, little, princess"

He had touched a nerve with Akeme, "I'll give you girly!" she screamed. She sent a huge arc of flame at Kann who managed to get his hands up in time to block it from hitting his face.

Kann fell to the floor in a ball gripping his burnt hands while his clothes were also singed. He was screaming in pain.

Akeme looked in horror at what she had done; the angry red marks on Kann's skin burnt an image in her brain. She ran off in tears.

"Kann! Are you ok?" Masaru ran up to where Kann lay and went to kneel down beside him.

Kann shouted at him, "Go away!' he moved his hand and shot a rock just past Masaru's ear.

"You need help! I'll get Kya!" Masaru insisted

"Just leave!" he screamed.

Masaru stood up and ran towards the house, he didn't stop to look behind him.

/

Atka was woken from his brief sleep by the sound of shouting coming from the garden below his window, he couldn't quite make out what was being said but it sounded like Kann and Akeme doing the bulk of it.

He tried standing up again but his legs were still not moving, the shouting had stopped and he could hear screaming from one person. Atka was concerned and he desperately wanted to see what was going on. He heard a bumping of someone rushing down the stairs and could hear a voice coming from the garden. A few minutes passed and there was more bumping, slower this time, as someone walked back up the stairs and past his room.

After a couple of minutes there was a knock at the door and Roku walked into the room.

He looked pleased to see Atka sitting up in his bed, "Ah good! Kya said you were awake" he sat in the chair next to the bed, "How are you feeling?"

"Not bad, a little bit slow but other than that I feel fine" Atka said with a grin

Roku smiled back, "That's good to hear, now Kya said that you can't remember anything about the Fire Festival and what happened in the Fire Nation"

Atka nodded, "Everything's a little bit hazy…"

"Kya says she can help to get back most of your memories so I'm not going to go into too much detail here" he sat up straighter, "But essentially, the Fire Nation was taken over by Mizan and a group called the Phoenix Cult. You went into the Avatar State to help us get out alive" Roku said

Atka looked shocked, "I went into the Avatar State?" then something flashed in Atka's mind, it was himself with glowing eyes, "Wait! I remember that! I talked to Avatar Aang as well!"

Roku leant forward, "You talked to Aang?" he said with surprise, "What did he say?"

Atka looked down, "I don't know…"

Roku leant back in the chair, "I think you need to have a session with Kya to help you trigger those memories, whatever Aang had to say could've been very important"

"I guess" said Atka uncertainly, "Why are we here exactly?"

Roku stood up, "We're in the Colonies because they're the safest place for us, and it's a reasonably neutral place for our little alliance to meet…"

"Alliance?" Atka asked

Roku nodded, "We've formed an alliance here to fight back against General Forr when he decides to attack this place, we've gone beyond diplomacy now"

Atka wanted more information, "Who's in this alliance then?"

Roku counted on his fingers, "Some loyal Fire Nation troops, Captain Boncho's men, the Omashu militia and some of General Ling's battalion"

"General Ling?" asked Atka

Roku nodded, "We identified him as the second Council of Five member to be against Forr, along with Bumi"

"Is Ling here now?" Atka asked

"No, he's going around the Earth Kingdom trying to find more people to join our cause, as is Iroh" Roku replied

The door opened and Boncho walked in, "Avatar Atka, its great to see you again!" he walked over to the bed and shook his hand.

"It's good to see you too!" he inclined his head slightly

Roku addressed Boncho, "Any news from the North?"

Boncho looked disappointed, "Nothing, they're not responding…"

Roku sighed, "I know Sokka and Kya said it would be difficult but I didn't expect this"

Atka perked up at the sound of the names, "Is this about the Water Tribe?" he asked.

Boncho nodded, "We want the Northern Tribe to join us, the South are already a part"

Atka looked surprised, "Really? I didn't think the Water Tribe forces would be useful in a land conflict"

Boncho chuckled, "We've got spies in Forr's camp, we know that he's got a substantial naval fleet ready to go"

"Fair enough…" Atka replied

Roku had been standing deep in thought, "I've just thought of a way you may be able to help us Atka"

Atka looked up at him, "How?"

"Do you think you could go to the Northern Water Tribe and convince them to join us?" Roku asked

Atka wasn't so sure, "Are you sure? I've never been to the North, they've always been isolated, even from us southerners"

"You're the Avatar, your last incarnation saved them during the war. I think they'll listen to you if nothing else" Boncho said

Atka looked down, "Ok, it can't hurt to try. But I'd like to have some time to relax here before I go"

Roku smiled, "Of course, I'm not going to send you to some cold snowy tundra just after you've been asleep for a week"

"Great!" Atka said loudly, "I think I should try having a walk, do you mind helping me up"

Boncho and Roku put their arms under Atka's shoulders and pulled him up onto his feet. He was a bit wobbly for the first few steps but he was soon steady enough to walk unaided. He pulled a blue dressing gown on and slowly walked around the room.

"You ok to go by yourself?" Roku asked

Atka nodded, "I think so, I'll take a walk around the garden in a minute to get some fresh air"

Roku smiled, "Good to hear, we'll leave you to it. If you need any help there are loads of people around here" he walked out the room with Boncho, leaving Atka to test his strength around the room.

/

"Just tell me what happened Kann" Kya asked the young earthbender.

Kann looked annoyed and faced away, "I told you, it was a training accident…" he said gruffly

Kya sighed and bended water around his hands, "I heard the shouting, that wasn't training" she made the water glow as she worked on the burns, "Unless you were argument training with Akeme and Masaru" she said

"Fine…" Kann spat, "Akeme lost her temper and burnt me"

Kya let the water drip off Kann's hand as the burns faded, "Why did she lose her temper?" she asked softly

Kann looked at the ground sadly, "We were having an argument" he admitted

"But what did you say to make her shoot fire at you?" Kya asked, "I've known her since she was little and she isn't one to lose her temper without good reason"

Kann looked angrily at the waterbender, "Are you trying to blame me for this?" he asked

Kya shook her head, "Not at all, I just want you to tell me what happened" she said calmly. "But I don't think you're blameless in this at all, you have to accept what happened" she moved on to heal the left hand.

Kann reluctantly told her what happened, "I shouted at her because I was angry at Masaru, I took it out on her…" Kann felt regret as he said the words.

/

Quiet crying was coming from a small bench, which was surrounded by tall bushes; Akeme sat with her knees drawn up to her face.

Atka was walking past the bench and heard the noise; he poked his head in to investigate. He was surprised to see Akeme sitting there.

"Are you ok Akeme?" he asked

Akeme rubbed her eyes, "Yeah…" she said shortly

Atka sat down next to her on the bench, "Doesn't look it, what's on your mind?"

She leant on Atka, "I did something awful, I don't want to talk about it…" she started to cry again.

"You should talk about it, I'm here to listen" Atka said softly

Akeme smiled through the tears, "Thank you…" she took a few moments to calm herself down before she spoke again, "I had a bit of a row with Kann"

"About what?" Atka asked

Akeme nearly started crying again, "I don't really know, but we got angry at each other, really angry. Then he said something and I…" she choked up at the memory.

Atka urged her, "What?"

Akeme looked away from him, "I burnt him…" she said quietly

"You did what?" said a shocked Atka

"I told you, I lost my temper and I burnt him" Akeme said with disgust.

Atka was still confused, "What did Kann say that made you lose your temper with him? Because it doesn't sound like the sort of thing either of you would do"

"He's been arguing with Masaru ever since we got here, I got involved and he took it out on me" Akeme said

Atka put a hand on her shoulder, "You should talk to him about it" he suggested

"There's something else as well" Akeme said

"What?" asked Atka

Akeme looked at him, "Something happened at the Fire Festival that you can't remember. Something between us…"

"Me and you?" Atka asked

Akeme nodded, "Yeah…" she whispered

Atka took his hand off her shoulder, "Can you tell me what?"

Akeme shook her head and faced away, "I don't think so, it would make Kann angry"

"Why would he be angry?" Atka asked

Akeme sighed, "I don't want to talk about it…"

Atka stood up with a sigh and walked away from the bench, "I think you should"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Akeme shouted, she shot some flame at Atka's feet but it fell just short of them.

"Akeme!" Atka said, shocked at what she had done

Akeme cried to herself, "I'm so, so sorry Atka!" she curled up into a ball.

Atka stood in silence few a few moments in contemplation, "I think you need some time to yourself, maybe I'll speak to Kann"

Akeme didn't respond so Atka just walked away from her and back towards the house.

Still crying, "I'm a monster" Akeme said to herself


	2. Healing

**Chapter 2 – Healing**

The water was soothing; Kya had done a perfect job on the burn wounds that had wrapped themselves around his hands. Kann felt the water cool and drip off his hands, leaving them clean and in tact.

"There you go Kann, that's the last of it" Kya said

Kann rubbed his hands; the skin was as it was before Akeme attacked him, "Thank you Kya, it's perfect"

Kya stood up, "You're very welcome" she looked seriously at Kann, "But I want you to think about what I said, you have to speak with her"

"I know…" Kann looked at the floor, "I'll try and find her"

"Good" Kya said, she picked up a jug of water from the floor, "She'll be feeling just as bad, if not worse, than you are. Just have some courtesy when you apologise, don't just barge in on her" she walked out of the door.

Kann sat on the bed with his head in his hands, "Atka's going to kill me when he finds out about this…"

/

Masaru was in a mood; he was shooting flames from his hands quickly and viciously. The targets had long since burnt away but there was no stopping him, though he soon fell to his knees with exhaustion.

Soon some giggling was heard coming up the road past the target range, it was Piazzo and his girlfriend Hikari. They stopped by where Masaru was on his knees.

Piazzo looked through the gate at him, "All right Mas?" he asked cheerfully

Masaru looked back at him, "Yeah, fine…" he said, annoyed

Piazzo and Hikari looked at each other briefly and looked back at him. Hikari spoke, "I'm going back to my room, I'll see you later Piazzo" she walked off and Piazzo went into the target range.

"What's on your mind?" he asked

Masaru stared at the ground, "Nothing, I'm just practising my firebending"

Sighing, Piazzo sat down crossed legged in front of his younger brother, "I've known you long enough to know when you're annoyed. Now tell me what the matter is"

Masaru got off his knees and sat down, "I don't think you'd understand…" he said

Piazzo laughed, "I think I do!" he looked knowingly into Masaru's eyes, "Its about you and Kann isn't it?" he asked

"How did you know about that?" Masaru asked

"Everyone knows! You've been fighting all week" Piazzo said, "Just talk to him about it, you'll sort it out"

Masaru stared at the ground and ran his fingers through the sand, "Its not just him, its Akeme as well…" he said quietly

Piazzo didn't sound surprised, "Sibling squabbles, understandable…"

"It's a bit more than a squabble…" Masaru said

"How do you mean?" Piazzo replied

Masaru looked up at him, "She and Kann had a row, a big one. She burnt him…"

Piazzo stood up in shock, "She did what?"

"Attacked Kann and burnt him, I bet she's in the garden congratulating herself…" Masaru spoke with a poisonous tone and spat the words out with disgust.

Piazzo tried to calm his brother down, "Please Mas, I'm sure there's a bit more to it than that"

Masaru quickly stood up, "She's out of control!" he shouted

"Who's out of control?" Roku had entered the target range, "What are you talking about?"

Masaru relaxed, "Akeme…" he said forcefully

Roku raised an eyebrow, "Akeme?" he asked

"She burnt Kann!" Masaru spat

"Kann said it was a training accident…" Roku said uncertainly

Masaru crossed his arms, "Well it wasn't, Akeme attacked him…"

Piazzo butted in, "You just told me they had a row, don't lie Mas!" he said sincerely.

Masaru ignored him, "You have to deal with her dad!"

"Just slow down a minute, we all need to talk about this together" Roku stepped back, "Meet me in the house in an hour, I'm going to find Kann and Akeme"

Piazzo stayed with Masaru after their father left, "You have to sort this out you know, no more lies"

Masaru stood with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face, the early evening sun reflecting off his face.

/

The sun was setting as Atka finished his walk around the garden; he'd made his way back to the house and had entered through the door.

He noticed Kya walking on the landing above, she was carrying a jug with her, and she walked down the stairs towards him.

"Hello Kya" Atka said quietly, the confrontation with Akeme still playing heavily on his mind.

Kya nodded, "Atka, how are you feeling?" she asked

Atka exhaled, "Fine, physically…"

"What do you mean?" Kya asked

"I've just been talking to Akeme…" Atka said

Kya tensed up; "Ah…" she pulled Atka into a side room, which contained a bed and a shallow bath. This was Kya's healing room.

She sat Atka down, "I guess you know what happened then?" she asked

Atka nodded, "Sounds like they had an argument…" he said

Kya moved forward, "From what I've gathered Kann and Masaru have been having relationship troubles and Kann took out his anger on Akeme by shouting at her. Then Akeme snapped and shot fire at him…"

Atka put his head in his hands, "This is too much…I've just woken up after a week and it turns out all my friends hate each other…" he pulled his knees up to his chin.

"I think I can help" Kya said, she made Atka lie on the bed and filled the jug with water. "I'm going to relax you with water bending, I think we can also trigger some of those lost memories at the same time" she bended some water around her hands and placed them on the side of his head.

Atka closed his eyes and let the water soothe him. He felt lighter than before and his breathing became deep and soft. Images formed in his head, they were misty and it was difficult to make out what was going on in them. Kya moved a finger from each hand onto Atka's forehead and the images became clearer.

He could see a mass of lights and people on a long stone path; it was the Royal Plaza in the Fire Nation. Atka was floating above the scene, out of his body. He looked around and he soon saw himself in the middle of the Plaza with his friends, he noticed that Akeme was gripping his arm.

The first image faded into another, this time on top of a cliff above the Plaza. He was alone with Akeme next to a fountain and they both appeared to be sitting close to each other. Soon Atka felt a rush in his body, Akeme was kissing him.

The image faded again and Atka was standing in front of the building that stood at the end of the Plaza. There was a burst of orange flame and rubble as an explosion engulfed the building and him.

The next thing Atka knew was himself standing inside the palace, which was full of robed figures. One of them jumped out and shot lightning at Fire Lord Zuko, who slumped to the ground.

Suddenly, Atka was standing alone in the centre of the room. He was looking at himself. His eyes and tattoo's were glowing and he stood with a scowl on his face. There was a gust of wind and an airbender appeared where Atka stood before, it was Aang. Then Atka noticed a spiralling flame above Aang's head, just before the image faded again.

Now Atka was outside, in the harbour, he could see himself at the top of a huge waterspout. His arms moved and a large wave formed, it engulfed the ships and they scattered.

A rush of images flew through Atka's head, one more prominent than the others. Avatar Aang was there in his minds eye, he was mouthing some words but Atka knew exactly what he meant. Water Tribe. Another image became prominent, the kiss with Akeme. Atka felt the rush again as the two images flashed between each other, it soon became too much.

Atka shot up into a sitting position and he was back in reality. Water splashed everywhere and Kya let out a small yelp. Atka breathed in and out anxiously, he had broken out in a cold sweat.

Kya put a hand on his shoulder, "Are you ok?" she asked with concern.

Atka continued to hyperventilate, "I think so…" he said between breaths.

He lay back on the bed and played back the images he had just seen, "I saw myself…" he said as he calmed down, "I was in the Avatar State…"

Kya pulled herself closer, "You were looking at yourself? You were out of your body?"

Nodding, Atka wiped some sweat from his brow. "I also saw Aang…" he said quietly

Kya sounded surprised, "You saw my dad?" she said with shock

"Yeah, he said I have to go to the Northern Water Tribe as soon as possible" Atka said. "I don't know why, but I think it's important…"

/

There was a tense atmosphere in the room; everyone was avoiding each other's gaze. Kann, Akeme and Masaru sat on the same sofa, but with crossed arms and frowns. Only Roku and Boncho looked reasonably comfortable with the situation, they stood in front of the sofa.

"You three are in big trouble…" Roku said sincerely.

There was no reaction from any of them so Boncho continued, "This is very serious, you have gone way over the line and you're all to blame"

Masaru spoke with indignation, "Sorry, but I haven't done anything!"

Roku put his hand up, "Silence Masaru" he said forcefully, "Let us finish"

Boncho took a step forward, "Your arguing has been driving everyone mad and it's up to you to sort it out, however, you have gone over the line"

Akeme glanced at Kann who had a steely look on his face, she knew what Boncho was referring to and was expecting a serious punishment.

Roku made himself look bigger, "Akeme" she looked up at her father, "I'm sending you to live with the Air Acolytes in the Northern Air Temple"

She wasn't expecting to hear that. Although she had been to the Northern Air Temple in the past she wasn't happy at this news.

"You're actions have shown me that you need to learn self control, the Air Acolytes will teach you to meditate and control yourself" Roku paced around the room, "You'll be there until the Acolytes deem you to have attained a level of control that allows to use your bending responsibly"

Akeme sank into her seat, she held in her tears. "When do I leave?" she asked reluctantly.

Roku stopped pacing and faced her, "Tonight, an airship will take you overnight. Now go and pack your things…"

Akeme got up and walked out the door, her head was hanging in sadness and shame.

Now Roku turned to the other two, "Now then…" he started. "Masaru, I'll admit that you didn't have as much to do with this situation as Akeme or Kann so your punishment isn't as severe"

Masaru smiled a tiny smile, he felt like he had got off lighter than Akeme.

Boncho took over, "You're coming with me to the Earth Kingdom" he said shortly

Masaru was confused, "What do you mean?" he asked

"I'm going into the Earth Kingdom with some of my troops to track down one person in particular, a very important person" Boncho continued

"Who?" Masaru asked

Boncho crossed his arms, "Classified information, sorry" he replied

Masaru still had questions, "Why am I going with you?" he asked

It was Roku who replied, "You need some more experiences away from your family, you've been far too sheltered throughout your life. You've had far too many privileges"

Now it was Kann's turn to learn his fate, Boncho looked his son directly in the eyes. "As for you Kann, you're going home to Ba Sing Se"

Kann looked up in shock, "Why?" he asked loudly

Boncho kept a straight face, "Because I can't trust you to be here at this time. You're going back home to the rest of our family, they'll be pleased to see you"

Kann stood up with frustration, "You can't send me away! Atka still has earthbending to learn!"

"Actually the Avatar has his own mission, he's going to the North Pole for us" Roku replied

Kann was indignant, "Oh so Atka and Masaru get missions, but I don't!"

Boncho held his arm out, "No, it's not like that…"

"But it is!" Kann interrupted his father, "Despite everything you still don't trust me!"

Boncho looked down, "Of course I trust you…"

The door opened and Atka walked in and Zuko, who had a bandage over his shoulder, followed him.

Zuko spoke first, "I've just spoken to my grand daughter" he said, "It's fair to say she's not happy" he crossed his arms

Roku sighed, "I've made my decision" he said pointedly

"I've also spoken to Atka here, I think we've come up with an idea that works for all of us" Zuko said with a slight smile.

Atka took a step forward, "I'm going to the Northern Water Tribe, and Akeme is coming with me" he said.

Roku stepped closer to the two of them, "I thought you wanted to spend some time here before you went?" he asked

Atka looked away slightly, "I don't think there's much chance of that happening now is there?" he said

"What's brought this on?" Roku asked

Atka recounted what he had seen in his memories, from the Avatar State to what Aang had told him. He left out the kiss.

Roku stood scratching his chin, "Looks like you have to go in that case…" he turned to Boncho, "What do you think?"

Boncho shrugged, "I have to be honest, I don't know much about the Avatar or spirits, or anything like that. If the Avatar think's its important then he should go"

Roku looked back at Atka, "Very well. Just one question, why do you want to take Akeme?"

Atka looked squarely at Roku, "When we were back in the Fire Nation she told me that the only thing she wanted to do was go on an adventure and make a difference in the world. Going to the North Pole will help her achieve that"

Zuko addressed his son, "Roku, sending her away on her own to the Air Temple will not solve these problems, please consider this"

Roku looked at the ground, "If you think it will help then I will allow it"

Atka grinned, "Great! I'll go and tell her!" he ran out of the room, Zuko stayed behind.

He looked at Kann and Masaru, who had stayed silent, "I think these two should travel together, they could work on their relationship issues then" with that Zuko left the room.

Boncho and Roku looked at each other before they turned their attention to the two young people in front of them.

"There is no way I'm taking you both to the Earth Kingdom with me" Boncho said, "I'm not going to risk this mission. You're still going back to Ba Sing Se Kann"

Kann looked away in silence

/

Atka burst into Akeme's room; she was lying on the bed facing away from the door. She turned over as Atka entered; she had let her hair down and had red eyes.

"They said yes! You can come to the North Pole with me!" he said enthusiastically

Akeme immediately sat up and grinned, "Really?" she said with a hint of disbelief. Atka nodded at her and Akeme jumped up and flung her arms around his neck. "I never thought he'd change his mind!" she said joyfully

"I think Zuko swung it" Atka said with a smile

Akeme released her arms, "I better pack, I'm going to need my winter coat" she went over to the cupboard at the side of the room and pulled some clothes out.

Atka walked over to the door, "I'm going to pack as well then, I'll see you at dinner" with that he went back to his own room.

On the way he past Kann's room, the door was slightly ajar, so he walked in to see him sitting on the bed with a bag that he was angrily throwing things into.

Atka approached him cautiously, "Kann?" he asked

Kann didn't turn around, "I didn't know you had woken up…" he said quietly

Atka scratched his head, "Yeah" he was feeling awkward, "Listen I'm sorry about everything that's happened"

"Yeah right…" Kann spat, "If you were sorry then you would have taken me to the North Pole instead of her" he finally turned to face Atka, he had a face of thunder.

Atka stepped closer to him, "Why does it matter? You're still helping out here, you don't have to go around the world with me to help"

Kann stood up, "It matters because I hate this place!" he shouted, "Nothing good has happened since I've been here! And now I'm getting sent home to Ba Sing Se!"

Atka didn't know this, "What?" he asked

"That's right, Ba Sing Se" Kann replied

Atka looked at the ground, "If you want to come with me then I'm sure I can convince your dad to allow it…" he suggest

Kann crossed his arms, "No way! I'm not going anywhere near that crazy girlfriend of yours!" he shouted

Atka was getting angry, "How dare you call Akeme crazy!" he shouted back "You're just a sour, angry, immature little boy!"

Kann turned around and picked his bag up, "Guess that makes two of us then…" he said quietly. He elbowed his way past Atka out of the door before stopping in the corridor; "It's been fun Avatar, goodbye…" he walked down the corridor and out of the house.

Atka stood in silence in the dark room think about what had just happened. He eventually walked out and into his own room; he sat down on the bed deep in thought.

"Goodbye Kann…"


	3. The Assassin

**Chapter 3- The Assassin**

There was a stiff sea breeze in the Yu Dao harbour; birds flew around the ships in the morning sun, it was a perfect day for sailing.

There were a number of ships in the harbour, both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. But there was only one ship ready to sail, a small Water Tribe vessel, its mast and sails looked out of place amongst the large metal-hulled ships alongside it.

Atka and Akeme threw in the last of their supplies, mainly food and clothing, and checked over the small craft. Its sails were unfurled and flapping around in the breeze, only a rope kept it from floating off out if the harbour.

Roku, Piazzo and Kya had come out to see them off, the latter handed the two teenagers and small package, "This is a little gift from me" she said.

The two ripped open the package and inside was a bracelet made of small bones and teeth.

Kya explained, "These are good luck charms, we give them to our Moon Guardians before they go on their first sea expeditions. I hope they give you safe travels" she bowed to the two of them and allowed Roku and Piazzo to address Atka.

They both held a box each in their hand, Roku handed his over first, "These are from Boncho, they're earthbending scrolls to help you continue your training.

Piazzo handed his over, "These are firebending scrolls, you're not getting out of training just yet you know!" he gave Atka and Akeme a small hug each before stepping back alongside the other adults.

Roku then handed a separate scroll over and Atka unfurled it. "These are the latest known positions of the various Fire Nation ships we've seen in the area between here and the North Pole, hopefully you can avoid any trouble"

Atka bowed to the Fire Nation prince and boarded the ship, followed by Akeme. "Thank you for everything! We'll send a message when we reach the Northern Water Tribe" he waved as the rope was undone and the ship moved off. The sails were tightened and the ship leapt forward out of the harbour and into the open sea.

/

The water was calm and the wind allowed the two sailors to relax slightly as the ship bombed north, with the coast of the Colonies along the horizon.

Atka leant on the side of the ship and breathed in the fresh air, Akeme stood next to him.

"This is great" Akeme said with a smile, "On the open seas with no one telling us what to do!"

Atka looked into the distance, "Yeah…" he said forlornly

Akeme spoke sympathetically, "Are you thinking about Kann?" she asked.

Nodding, Atka thought back to the night before when they had been arguing, he felt awful about the whole situation. "I shouldn't have shouted at him like that…" he said

Akeme hugged him, "It's not your fault, and I'm as much to blame as anyone…" she said

Atka hugged her back, "He was my earthbending teacher, he was my only friend while we were in the Earth Kingdom" he said quietly.

"Everything's going to be ok…" she said

Atka released the hug and took step back from Akeme; "There's also something I want to talk to you about…" he said

"What about?" Akeme replied

Atka took a deep breath; "Well…now we're alone…"

Akeme blushed, "Yes?" she said with anticipation

Scratching the back of his head Atka continued cautiously, "What happened in the Colonies while I was asleep, why did everyone start hating each other?"

Akeme looked away, "To be honest I'm not really sure, but I have an idea I guess…" she sat down, "We were never really sure if you would pull through after you came out of the Avatar state, we were all really worried about you" she paused, "Me especially…"

Atka sat down next to her, the boat was heading straight on and required little input from him. "I know you were worried but that still doesn't explain why you were all at each others throats"

"When we arrived at the Colonies, Kya was waiting for us" Akeme continued, "Iroh had sent a message ahead to the South Pole to find some healers and we were fortunate that Kya was travelling with a group of Moon Guardians around the western Earth Kingdom and she had got hold of the message before it reached the Water Tribe". Akeme's voice began to crack, "If she hadn't been there then my Granddad would have died…and you might not be here now…."

Atka was surprised, "Was it really that bad?" he asked

Akeme bit her lip and held in tears, "Kya said that your body had been weakened by the energy you created, she said that because you've never experienced that before your body was unprepared and you went into a state of spiritual healing". She paused again, for longer this time, "You could have died…"

"I still don't see how this relates…" Atka said with a shake of his head

Akeme looked at Atka, "We all wanted to see you, we all want to help Kya get you better. But we couldn't, we had to stay and help my dad and Boncho with Alliance stuff" she looked down, "We were all stressed and frustrated about you not being around…I think we were sort of driven apart…"

Atka looked down, "Are you saying that the only reason we all tolerated each other was because of me?" he asked

"Maybe that was part of it, but there was something else…" Akeme said cautiously

"What?" asked Atka

Akeme looked down again and crossed her arms, "You may not like this but Kann happened…"

Atka sighed, "I thought that might be it…" he said quietly

"His dad arrived about a day after we did with some of his men. Initially Kann was happy to see him but something sort of flashed between them and they started to grow apart" Akeme said with a shrug, "I don't really know what"

Atka had one idea, "Did he introduce him to Masaru?" he asked

Akeme looked into the distance, "I think so" she said slowly, "Why? Would that have been a problem?"

Atka looked away, "It might have been…"

Akeme continued, "Anyway, after that him and Mas both started arguing more and more, it got scary sometimes, but we all tried to both ignore it and try to help at the same time. We were all frustrated by it…"

"By what?" Atka asked, "Mas and Kann? Me?"

Akeme raised her voice, "Everything! We were frustrated by everything!"

Atka remained calm and stayed silent for but a few seconds, "Everyone was frustrated? Or just you?" he asked without looking at Akeme

"What do you mean?" she asked

Atka glanced at her, "You say everyone was frustrated. Do you mean your family? You, Kann and Mas? The soldiers? Or just yourself?" He spoke with some force.

Akeme looked down and brought her knees up to her chin, burying her face there. "I don't know, but I was frustrated. I wanted everything to be happy but I knew that couldn't happen, not while you were asleep and my Granddad was still injured. And while we were trapped far away from home…" tears started to fall, "I was scared…I'll admit that"

Putting an arm around the firebender Atka came closer to her, "There's no shame in admitting that". Atka still wanted answers, "So everything that brewed up while I was out was because you were unsure, you didn't know what to expect from the future?"

Akeme wiped her eyes, "I guess that's mainly it, I wanted nothing more than everything to work out. I wanted you to be safe…" she said with a wavering voice.

Atka moved his hand to grip hers, "I am safe, and I'm ready to help the world. And you're ready to help the world too" he looked into Akeme's eyes

Akeme stared back, "You mean that?" she asked

"Of course" Atka said with a grin, "But there's something else I want to talk to you about…" he said quietly. "When we were at the Fire Festival together…something happened…between us…"

Akeme smiled slightly, "I know" she put a hand on Atka's cheek, "I've never said this to anyone before but…"

Atka put a finger on her lips, "You don't need to say it Akeme, I saw it clearly when I got my memories back…"

"Then you won't mind this…" With that Akeme pressed her lips against Atka's.

The moment Akeme's soft lips touched his Atka felt secure, and he felt peaceful. The feelings he felt for Akeme were something that he had never experienced before, despite only having felt them during Kya's healing session back in Yu Dao.

The kiss ended and the smiled at each other, Atka broke the silence, "Thank you…"

Akeme smile broadened, "You're welcome Avatar Atka" she put her forehead against Atka's, "Don't stop me saying it this time…I love you…"

They both stood up and hugged, "I love you too" Atka replied, "I'm going to make everything better I promise…"

Akeme tightened her grip, "I know you will, and I'll do all I can to help you…"

/

As the sky turned orange the ship pulled into an estuary on the north-western coast of the Colonies to set up camp. They had decided to keep things simple and had packed two small tents, they were designed to be set up and taken down quickly.

Akeme lit a small fire whilst Atka caught a couple of fish for them to eat. Soon the sun had dipped over the horizon and only the orange light of the fire allowed them to see.

Akeme yawned, "I never knew sailing would be so tiring" she stretched out her arms and stood up, "I'm going to bed" she went over and pecked Atka on the cheek, "Night" she said before retiring to her tent.

"Night Akeme" Atka replied. He stayed out under the moon lit sky and looked at all of the stars. It had been a long time since he'd had the chance to appreciate the beauty of the night sky, he wasn't going to miss this one. Soon it became cloudy and cold as the fire turned to embers; Atka got up and went into his own tent.

/

Roku was wandering around the large, and much emptier house. Just a day ago it was a hive of activity as his family and friends rushed around it going about their everyday lives, now it was silent. Roku opened the door of his study and sat down in front of his desk, which was covered in paper.

He sighed and thought about his family, Akeme was traveling with the Avatar; Masaru was in the barracks across the city with Boncho, and Piazzo was spending the night with Hikari. Additionally, his beloved younger brother was at sea effectively running errands for him. Only his wife and father remained inside the house, along with Kya.

There was a knock at the door, it was Zuko, he poked his head around the door, "May I come in?" he asked

Roku nodded, "Of course" he replied

Zuko pulled up a chair and sat next to his son, "How are you Roku?" he asked

"I'm fine" Roku replied quickly

Zuko sighed, "Be honest with me" he said

Roku looked down and paused for a moment, "I'm doing everything wrong dad…" he said quietly

"How do you mean?" Zuko asked

Roku faced his father, "My family has been torn apart!" he replied loudly, "I've let them go without saying anything"

Zuko put his hand on Roku's shoulder, "Your children were always going to leave at some point, if you're asking me then I think you've kept them for too long"

Roku scowled, "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you need to give them a sense of independence, they have to be able to make their own decisions" Zuko said

Roku continued to scowl at Zuko, "Listen to yourself! You never gave me and the other two that sort of freedom!" he said loudly

Zuko sat back, "Didn't I? Try telling that to Iroh"

Roku frowned, "Iroh?"

Zuko nodded, "Didn't I allow him to leave the army and become something he wanted to be?"

Roku looked down, "Yes, yes you did…" he said slowly

"If Iroh had gone up to my father and said he wanted to become and ambassador he would have been cast away" Zuko continued, "What I am saying is that you can't just mould your children into what you see as perfect" he stood up

Roku looked up at him, "Are you trying to tell me that I've done the wrong thing by sending them away?" he asked

Zuko stopped by the door, "No, for the record I think that you're correct in letting them spend some time away from here" he turned back to face Roku, "And there's something else, look at Masaru. When he told you he was gay how did you feel?"

Roku glanced away, "I cant remember…" he said quietly

Zuko nodded, "I do, you were proud of him. You weren't ashamed, unlike Boncho when Kann told him the same thing"

"Are you saying Boncho was wrong?" Roku asked

"Perhaps, but it was confusing for him and he didn't know how to react. So he simply sent the problem away" Zuko said softly

Roku looked straight at Zuko, "You're referring to Akeme aren't you…" he stated

Zuko nodded, "Sending her away wouldn't have done any good to her, that's why it's so important that she went away with someone she loves"

Roku frowned, "Akeme loves Atka?" he said with shock

"Of course!" he said smiling, "You must have seen her whilst he was asleep"

Roku looked away, "I'm not sure how I feel about this…"

"You should feel comfortable with it" Zuko said, "You were fine when Masaru and Kann were together"

Roku looked up, "That's different…" he said quietly

Zuko interrupted him, "How is it different?" he said with force "I understand that you want to protect your daughter but she doesn't need protecting!"

Roku stood up, "She's my daughter and I know what's best for her!"

"You're treating her differently from her twin! Atka is a fine young man and you trust him, why shouldn't he be allowed to be with Akeme?" Zuko said loudly

Roku turned away from Zuko and leant on the desk, "Please leave…"

"I shall" he opened the door but turned back before he left, "You can't protect her forever…"

Roku stared out of the window behind his desk where it faced the sea. He knew that somewhere out there his daughter was alone in the growing darkness.

/

The stillness of the night was broken by the sound a snapping twig as a few animals cried in response. Inaudible steps made their way to the small campsite and the still smoking fire, though they stopped on the edge of the woods.

A figure stood against the tree, they wore a heavy black robe and a cloth mask that only left their eyes visible covered their face. They took a couple of steps to the left and walked over behind the tent closest to the where the boat was moored; he jangled slightly as he moved.

There was a stir inside the tent and whoever was inside it made a small noise as they moved, a female. The figure moved away from that tent and instead stood by the one opposite, this was the one he wanted. There were more noises from the girl's tent and the sound of canvas moving as she stirred some more. The figure ignored this and extended a metal clad fist towards the tent, he prepared himself.

"Atka!" a girls voice shouted, the figure turned to see her standing with her fists raised.

Inside the tent a tired voice replied, "What?"

The girl shouted back, "Get up!" and she fired some flames towards the figure but he dodged out of the way, he was incredibly agile.

A boy got out of the tent wearing a nightshirt and shorts, he looked at the figure, "What's going on?" he asked the girl.

"Some guy is attacking us!" she replied as she fired yet more flame at it.

The boy jumped into action and bended some water from the estuary into a ring around him. He stood next to the girl and shot razor sharp water arcs at the figure. Rather than dodge them the figure instead blocked the water by producing a circular fan like shield on his arm, it was made of metal.

The figure then threw off his heavy black robe to reveal a tall thin body underneath. He was wearing a thin black jumpsuit and metal boots, a belt around his waist held an assortment of knives and other implements. But it was the arms that really caught the eye; they were shining metal with sharp fingers at the end.

The man jumped down and as he landed the earth shook, he turned around to face the two teenagers, raised his hand and fired ten darts out of the knuckles.

Atka dropped the water and stamped his foot down to raise a piece of earth out of the ground in front of them. The darts struck them with a high-pitched prick and Atka jumped in front of the earth and firebended at the man who continued to block with his shield.

As Atka paused to catch his breath the man raised his hands and behind Atka the needles released themselves from the rock and were aimed at Atka again. Akeme jumped out and pushed Atka out of the way as the needles flew towards him, only just missing both of them.

"How's he doing that?" shouted a shocked Akeme

Atka glanced across towards the man who was readjusting the flight of the needles to split into two groups and chase them both separately. Atka jumped behind a tree while Akeme had to quickly duck to avoid being impaled.

"He's metalbending!" Atka shouted back as needles flew past his left ear, "I'm going to try and distract him!"

Atka jumped out from behind the tree and used earthbending to raise the sand off the ground into a cloud to blind the man. Allowing himself to relax slightly, Atka ran towards where Akeme was crouching behind the rock and raised an earth tent around them to stop the needles from hitting.

Akeme was trying to catch her breath, "Who is this guy?" she asked

"I don't know…" Atka replied with a shake of his head.

The rock that surrounding them began to crack and the two young benders tensed up. Suddenly the earth tent was reduced a pile of rubble and the man was standing over them with his eyes narrowed in anger.

Atka acted quickly and pushed him and Akeme back along the ground. They quickly stood up and went into fighting stances, the man stood still. The needles returned to the knuckles of the man and he walked slowly over to the teenagers opposite him.

The man raised his arms to his side and as he did a number of knives came out of the belt and floated in front of him, their points aimed at Atka and Akeme. He stopped walking and spoke in a raspy voice, "I have very specific instructions…"

Atka's eyes widened, he recognised the voice, it was the other man who met with Forr. "I know who you are" Atka said back

The man chuckled, "I'm sure you do Avatar" he raised his arms higher and the knives spread out to surround his targets. "I am to bring you back alive…"

He faced Akeme, "The girl is expendable…"

"No…" Atka said quietly

With that the man swung his arms inward and the knives shot towards Akeme. Stamping his foot down and raising his arms, Atka raised the earth beneath them and the knives imbedded into it.

Atka sent the earth, and him and Akeme, back down. As he did this, the knives were trapped underground. However, the man was undeterred, and he jumped a long way backwards towards the trees. Once again he raised his arms, this time long thin chains shot out and entangled Akeme around her wrists.

"Akeme!" Atka shouted as he ran towards her.

The chains became taut and she was rapidly pulled to the man who picked her up by the throat and held her aloft. He held a fist out towards Atka.

He spoke in his raspy voice, "If you come with me I'll let her go"

Akeme was groaning and struggling to get free from the metallic grip of her captor, "Don't Atka" she said with a strained voice.

There was very little that Atka could do, he didn't want Akeme to be hurt but at the same time he knew that he had to stay free of Forr. In the sky above him the clouds began to part and a silvery glow started to illuminate the ground.

Knowing he had little time to react he raised his arms and thought about an attack, Akeme looked strained and was clearly beginning to struggle against the grip of the mans metal clad arm. Atka concentrated and focussed hard.

Opposite him the man smiled triumphantly under his cloth mask, he had the Avatar right where he wanted him. He tightened his grip on the girls neck, and he could feel her screaming silently.

"Come now Avatar, you know what you have to do…" he taunted. He laughed and raised the girl higher, "Not long now, she'll be gone soon…"

Atka made his wrists stiff and raised them, focussing on the man. The mans pupils shrunk and his eyes widened, he no longer had control. His limbs were tight and immovable, it was almost as if he was being controlled like a puppet. His grip on the girl loosened and she fell, coughing and spluttering, to the floor before crawling away. With the girl gone his legs buckled and he was forced to the floor. Not knowing what was happening he could do little else than let it happen, though his brain screamed at him to resist. His head was brought to the floor and his arms were contorted to his back, his could feel the bones beginning to crack.

A strained voice forced its way out of his mouth, "Who...are...you...?"

Atka turned his hand over and the mans head turned with it, the power he felt over the man was immense and he loved it. Then he saw the terror painted across his face as the neck began to take the strain.

The man could feel his own neck being turned beyond his limits and wanted to beg for him to stop. But then he felt the pressure relax and he had some degree of control over his head again. A sense of relief washed over him but that soon dissipated as he was snapped back upright, he could stare into the Avatars eyes. The expression was difficult to place; it was a mix of terror, uncertainty and jubilation. He looked down and flicked his wrists upwards.

When Atka did this, the man flew across the estuary, skimming over the surface of the water and striking a tree on the opposite bank. Atka sunk to his knees and stared at his hands, the hands that nearly killed a man.

Akeme rushed to where Atka was on the ground and knelt next to him, "Are you ok" she said with concern.

Still silently staring at his hands he could barely speak, "I could have ended him…I was so close…" he said quietly

Akeme put her arm around Atka, "You saved my life Atka, I don't even know what you did"

Atka looked into the distance, "I had complete control over him, it felt incredible to have that power over someone…" he said with a hint of pleasure.

Akeme looked at him with fear, "Snap out of it Atka, this isn't you!" she said with force, she grabbed his hand, "You're not the sort of person to end a mans life" she wasn't sure about that statement.

"I'm the Avatar, one day I may be faced with having to take someone's life away" he looked at Akeme, "I showed restraint today and spared him, if I was to do that again it might have been my life…or yours…that was lost" Atka had a determined gleam to his eyes.

Akeme faced away, "I don't want you to become a killer Atka, I saw your face when you were controlling him and I saw fear in that face, you hated what you were doing to him" she said in a strong voice. "Please don't be someone you're not Atka, you're not a killer"

Atka looked down, "Maybe not, but I may have no choice. I'm a bloodbender now, I have the power to reach inside someone and bend them to my will" he faced Akeme, "That's power, and its something I wont hesitate to use if the situation demands it" he stood up and walked towards the boat, stopping to pack his tent and supplies away.

Akeme stood up too, "So that's it then? You wont even think about what I have to say?" she ran to Atka and stood in front of him, "Its horrible seeing talk so calmly about murder"

Atka interrupted her, "Murder? Is it murder if I'm trying to protect someone I love?"

Tears formed in Akeme's eyes, "You're the Avatar! Killing someone should be a last resort for you!"

Atka looked angrily at her, "What would you know about what I'm supposed to do?" he said loudly, "You're just some spoilt princess from the Fire Nation who's never had to make a difficult decision in her life! And yet here you are preaching to me about what's right or wrong, but you have no idea what's right for me!"

Akeme looked away with the tears now rolling down her cheeks, "You're starting to sound like Kann…" she said quietly, "If you really loved me then you would at least think about what I had to say…"she climbed into the boat and sat against the walls of the hull.

"Wait, Akeme, I'm sorry" Atka said after her and followed her into the boat.

Akeme was sat against the wall and faced away from him, "I'm not going to stand around and watch you get torn apart by yourself. I want you to make the right decisions, like sparing that mans life despite him trying to kill us" she finally faced Atka, "If you had gone through with it, would that have made you any better than him? You would have become the killer"

Atka sat opposite her, "I know…" he said with remorse, "But feeling the power I had, it controlled me and I wasn't myself. I hope you understand that I will use bloodbending again; I'll just need to have better control over myself when I do. It's a skill that's the mark of a true master waterbender, that's what I am now"

Akeme sighed and sat silently, but soon spoke after a few seconds, "Lets just get out of here an get to the North Pole as soon as possible, the longer we're here the more vulnerable I feel…"

A gust of wind rocked the boat and Atka stood up to undo some sails, they should be able to sail out of the estuary and into open water by sunrise. Akeme hung back and made sure all their supplies were in order, occasionally stealing a sideways glance to the waterbender who was now sat at the prow of the ship with a knife in his hand, he was sharpening it with a small piece of stone.

Akeme walked over to him and knelt down, "Are you ok?" she asked with a slight smile

Atka barely looked up, "There's a saying amongst my people that goes, 'If you are afraid, change your way'. And you know what? I am afraid. What am I becoming?" he shook his head.

Akeme held Atka's hand and came closer, "You're becoming wiser, you're questioning things and I'm proud of you" she pecked him on the cheek but Atka barely responded.

"I wasn't myself when I was bloodbending him, Moon Guardians are trained to kill but not like that" he said and he looked up, but not at Akeme, "I have to speak to Aang, I need his wisdom on this…" he stood up. "Its time to leave, we have to get to the North Pole".

Akeme smiled slightly, though it was forced. She took her place on the prow as Atka took control of the tiller and steered the ship to leave its mooring spot. She looked at Atka and was worried, she didn't want him to lose control of his emotions like she had towards Kann.

'Bloodbending'. The very name of it made Akeme uneasy and it was worrying seeing Atka so satisfied about using it. The ship was soon on its way out of the estuary and facing open sea, it was hard to believe that scarcely one day ago they had declared their love for each other, now Akeme could hardly feel more distant from him.

The sky was turning orange and the sun started to rise, the Northern Water Tribe would soon be upon them and Akeme could hardly wait, she felt like things would change for both her and Atka when they arrived. With a renewed optimism about being at sea, she looked out with a smile over the dark blue ocean.

/

The groan was quiet but held a sound of great pain at its heart. The man was slumped against a tree and he managed to force his eyes open to reveal a blurred landscape around him, he was dizzy from the attack.

But there was something else in his vision, a group of people stood in front of him and an orange glow illuminating the surroundings. One of them stepped towards him and knelt down.

"Wakey, wakey…" he said in a hushed, sinister tone.

His vision began to focus and revealed a young man wearing Fire Nation armour, he had long black hair and a foreboding grin across his face.

He laughed, "Now then, you're going to give me some very important information…"


	4. The Cold North

**Chapter 4 – The Cold North**

The air was cold and the wind was bitter as the small, sail powered craft made its way into the northern waters. Icebergs and snow covered islands had become common the further they travelled and it signalled that their long journey was coming to end.

Atka was stood at the back of the boat, on the tiller; ready to change the course of the ship should a piece of ice float by. He was now wearing his thick fur lined coat, something he hadn't done since he left his home almost 2 months ago.

At the other end of the boat Akeme was sat down wrapped in a cloak, she wasn't as used to the cold as Atka, and she used a small lantern to give her some warmth.

Atka called over to her, "Akeme! I think we'll be there soon so keep an eye out for any boats or signs of life"

Groaning slightly, Akeme stood up and adjusted the cloak around her to ensure no skin was open the elements. He leant on the side of the boat and observed the horizon; all she could see was floating ice and the cold ocean. She had never experienced a place so desolate and devoid of life as is and she wondered to herself how anyone could live in such a place. Yet Atka seemed so at home here, he barely flinched when they had to navigate through the icebergs the afternoon before and he hadn't complained about the temperature once. Akeme sighed, she wasn't used to being so far away from home, especially in a place like this.

Just as she was beginning to get frustrated about not finding the tribe she heard Atka exclaiming excitedly, "There it is!" he said enthusiastically.

Akeme looked out and as they went around a peninsula she could see a huge white wall in front of them. It was a magnificent sight, a sheer white wall that stood at least 30 foot into the air upon which stood a number of watchtowers. Behind the wall was a large city surrounded by huge cliffs that kept the Water Tribe stronghold safe on all sides.

As the boat approached the wall a group of waterbenders on the top of the wall sunk a section into the water and allowed the boat to pass into a lock section of the Water Tribe defences.

Akeme turned to Atka with a grin on her face, "This is amazing Atka!" she said enthusiastically, "I've always heard stories about how beautiful the city is but I never expected this" she looked out in wonderment

The expression on Atka's face seemed to disagree with his more enthusiastic girlfriend. He had concerns about the situation they were in, "Why are they letting us in?" he asked himself.

Akeme caught wind of this and stood at his side, "What's the matter?" she asked.

Atka looked up at the waterbenders stood along the walls of the lock, "The Northern Water Tribe have avoided contact with any outsiders for almost 50 years. Why are they letting us in now?"

The water slowly rose as Atka pondered these thoughts.

/

After they moved out of the lock, Atka and Akeme's boat was led along the central canal of the city and into a small dock. As they disembarked a short, grey haired man who wore neat, fur-lined robes greeted them. Two hooded men who wielded a spear each and had a fierce look in their eyes accompanied him.

The man spoke with a cheery voice, "It is an honour to welcome the Avatar to the Northern Water Tribe! I am Hotuk, advisor to Chief Amaguq" he bowed to the two new arrivals.

Atka returned a brief bow but he had other concerns, "Thank you for the welcome but I have one question"

Hotuk smiled, "Fire away Avatar" he said in his cheerful voice.

Atka stared sternly at the elderly man in front of him, "Why did you let us into the city? And how did you even know that we were coming?" he asked.

Hotuk smiled, "Oh believe me Avatar, we have our ways of knowing when people are coming. And why wouldn't we let a fellow Water Tribe member into our fine city? Especially an Avatar." He turned around and indicated for the other two to follow him. Atka stared at Hotuk through narrowed and suspicious eyes as they followed him.

/

"March on men! Keep in single file along here as we go into the valley!" Boncho's loud voice rang around the thirty warriors.

They had been travelling for three days now and they had grown weary of carrying heavy packs and marching in unforgiving terrain. Amongst the experienced soldiers was Masaru, dirty and tired, he was unused to being away from home and he felt out of place with the earthbenders who had largely ignored him.

Taking careful steps along the narrow mountain path, Masaru followed the other men down into a wooded valley. They had left the Colonies borders only the night before and were taking careful precautions now that they were in the Earth Kingdom, and much more vulnerable.

After they reached the bottom and selected a suitable campsite the men set about putting their tents up, two men to one tent, only Masaru was left to himself and he slowly unpacked his tent and rolled it out.

It wasn't long before the other soldiers had put their tents up and started to gather up firewood and get food ready. Masaru was still struggling with the tent poles and the canvas was still in a heap on the ground.

"Need some help with that?" a voice asked from over Masaru's shoulder. He turned around to see a young looking soldier standing behind him. He had a kind face and short black hair that was held in a topknot, he wore the robes of Boncho's battalion.

Masaru smiled slightly at the soldier, "I could do with some help, thanks" he handed a pole to the soldier and they soon had the tent pitched and secure.

"Thanks" he offered a hand to the soldier, "I'm Masaru"

The soldier smiled and shook the hand, "Thom, and it was my pleasure" he took a step back, "Do you want some food?" he asked

"Sure, but I haven't really been eating with the soldiers…" Masaru replied

Thom waved away those words, "Don't worry about that, just sit next to me". He walked towards the campfire where the other men were beginning to sit down and fill their bowls with soup from the cauldron.

Sitting down, Thom handed Masaru a bowl of soup and a spoon. He filled up his own bowl and proceeded to eat it. The other men were engaging in conversation amongst them but occasionally glanced at Masaru with surprise.

Eventually one of the senior officers addressed his presence, "I'm glad you could join us your highness" he said in a mocking tone. In response the other soldiers laughed quietly.

Masaru looked down, this was what he had been expecting. This was why he had avoided talking to the soldiers and why he had been eating alone since they began travelling. He wasn't a soldier and had no desire to be one, he had been forced to join up with Boncho on his mission, and he didn't even know what that mission was. The whole operation had been a closely guarded secret as Boncho was wary of enemy espionage.

"Leave him alone Huai" Thom said, "We could at least try to make him feel welcome here…" he continued to eat his soup.

Huai laughed, "He's not a soldier, he has no place here"

Thom put his bowl down, "No, he's not a soldier, and that's the exact reason why we should be more hospitable towards him" he said sternly.

Huai stood up, "We are going on a potentially dangerous mission, we can't be carrying baggage and this kid is exactly that!" he marched around the campfire, "He's nothing more than a pampered prince who's been taken far away from home. He'll be crying for his mother soon enough".

He had touched a nerve in Masaru, "Hey! I'm not just some spoilt little boy you know!" with that cry he stood up and faced the soldier, "I can fight"

With a smirk Huai turned around, "Any fool can fight, it takes skill to win one" he sat back down.

Masaru looked down but his anger rose, "I'm the grandson of Fire Lord Zuko and a descendant of Avatar Roku" he stood an angry stare at Huai, "I could take any of you if I wanted to!"

Huai smirked again and chuckled, "So volatile, this is why you can't be trusted on a mission like this" he got back to his own bowl of soup.

Masaru stayed standing and stared intently at Huai, "Can't be trusted? You don't even know what the mission is!" he said loudly

"On the contrary" Huai said with a hint of triumph, "You're the only person here who doesn't know…"

Masaru stood in shock; he glanced at Thom who looked away from him…

/

Soon Atka and Akeme reached the palace, a tall ornate building that was constructed out of ice and snow. Hotuk stopped on the courtyard at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the palace and swung his arm in around, "This is the great palace, home to the noble chief of our tribe" he walked on without another word and led Atka and Akeme up the stairs to the palace entrance.

The interior of the palace was ornate with pillars of ice holding up the roof. At the end of the room stood a platform, not dissimilar to the one in the South Pole, where the chief sat with two more people, a male and a female, who he was in deep discussion with.

Hotuk bowed respectfully to the chief, "My liege, I have brought the Avatar here as you requested" he stepped to one side and allowed Atka to go closer to the chief.

The chief was tall and had a thin face; he had an air of authority about him. He had a frown on his face and narrow eyes that were scanning Atka from top to bottom. He eventually stepped forward and gave a slight bow, "Welcome Avatar Atka, I am Chief Amaguq"

Atka carefully returned the bow, "Thank you for the welcome"

Amaguq stepped back from Atka, "May I ask why you have come here to our tribe?" he asked

Choosing his words carefully, Atka replied, "May I ask why you have let us in? You didn't even let the chief of my tribe into your city"

Amaguq chuckled slightly, "If you answer my question, I'll answer yours," he said in a monotonous voice.

The chief stood still and closely observed Atka, he wanted to decipher him and see deeper into him.

"I have come to speak with Avatar Aang…" Atka finally said after much thought.

Amaguq sat back down with the two others, "Avatar Aang has been dead for 16 years, you are proof of that. How do you plan on speaking to him Avatar?"

Atka stepped towards the platform Amaguq was sat on with fierceness in his eyes, "I made contact with him and he told me to journey here" he walked right up to the platform and locked eyes with the chief, "Where can I do this?" he asked

The chief was unmoved by Atka's stare and his deadpan expression gave nothing away, "I suggest you speak with the shaman's in the temple, I have no time for trivial matters such as this" he looked over Atka's shoulder, "Hotuk, take the Avatar and his friend to their accommodation"

Atka continued to glare at Amaguq for a few seconds before turning around and following Hotuk out of the palace. They made their way back down into the city and were led to a medium sized house just outside of the palace grounds.

They were led inside by Hotuk, "This house is reserved for revered guests, you will find food prepared" he turned to leave but stopped before exiting, "Ah yes! While you are here you are free to explore the city at your leisure, but the palace is accessible by appointment only!" he left without another word.

The house was much smaller on the inside than it looked and it only had an eating room on the ground floor with a small kitchen area. The upstairs housed two bedrooms and nothing else.

After a quick look around the two reconvened around the table on the ground floor with a dejected look in their eyes. It was Akeme who spoke first, "Why didn't you ask him?" she asked Atka.

"What?" Atka responded

Akeme leant towards him over the table, "About the Alliance? That's the reason we came up here, not just for you to talk to Aang".

Atka looked away, "I don't think that he'd fit in with us…" he replied sullenly

With a groan Akeme rested her hand on top of Atka's, "You should at least try to get him to join us, he could be important"

Atka pulled his hand away, "No, I don't want him anywhere near the Colonies, I don't trust him" he said

"How can you not trust him?" Akeme asked with exasperation, "You hardly know him!"

Atka raised his arms, "Just listen to him! He doesn't care about us at all!" he stood up and walked up the stairs to his room.

Akeme didn't follow him and sat staring at her hands trying to think of what to do.

/

Masaru had hardly slept all night and he had simply been counting down the hours until morning broke and the birds started to sing. He pulled himself from under the rug and stepped outside of the tent into the fresh air of the bright morning. Only a couple of other soldiers were up and they paid no attention to him as they went about their early morning tasks.

Of the 15 or so tents that surrounded the campfire one stood out, Boncho's. It was wider and taller than the others and acted as a meeting room for his highest-ranking officers. Masaru stood in front of the tent and took a deep breath, he expected Boncho to be awake. He walked into the tent to be presented with a group of three soldiers sat around a detailed map of the Earth Kingdom with various locations marked on it with red dots.

The soldiers looked up at Kann with annoyed expressions on their faces, Boncho looked particularly angry.

"Any reason why you have disturbed us?" Boncho asked

Masaru stepped forward into the tent wearing a steely expression, "I wanted to talk with you, sir" he replied with some courtesy.

The three soldiers looked at each other before pointing to a cushion at the end opposite Boncho. With little hesitation Masaru sat down and stared squarely at the captain in front of him.

Boncho stared back and spoke with irritation, "Well? What is it?" he asked

With a sigh, Masaru replied, "I have some questions, and I want answers…" he said.

Glancing to his two deputies, Boncho dismissed them with a wave and they left the tent. "Go on then, what do you want to tell me?"

Masaru took a deep breath, "Why have you been keeping me in the dark?" he asked.

"You're going to have to elaborate a bit more…" Boncho replied

Straightening up, Masaru raised his voice slightly, "You haven't told me anything. Where are we going? Who are we trying to take out?"

Boncho sighed, "I have my reasons for not telling you and I intend to stick to that" he said with force.

"What do you mean?" Masaru asked loudly, "You have to tell me! Everyone else around here seems to know!"

Boncho stood up, "You'll find out in due time, now if you don't mind I have other things to do" he said calmly as he held the door of the tent open.

Reluctantly, Masaru stood up and exited the tent. He knew it was a useless cause trying to change the mind of the earthbender. The camp was much more active now as the soldiers packed down their tents together.

None of them paid any notice towards Masaru as he walked amongst them and into his own, still standing, tent. He slowly packed things into his bag and rolled up his sleeping bag before tying it to the top of the large bag. Soon the tent flapped open, startling Masaru, it was Thom.

"I just heard about your meeting with Boncho, I'm guessing he didn't tell you anything?" he asked in a sympathetic tone.

With a glance backwards, Masaru replied, "How did you possibly guess?" he spoke with sarcasm in his voice.

Thom sighed before continuing, "I wish I could tell you but I'm under strict orders to not let you know anything about this mission".

Masaru stayed silent and made sure his bag was done up fully as he tossed it out of the tent past Thom. He stood up and barged past Thom as he exited the tent. With a huff Thom followed him and placed a hand on the young prince's shoulder.

"Leave me alone…" Masaru said as his shrugged the hand off and began to undo the pegs that held his tent up.

"Need any help with that?" Thom asked cautiously

Masaru scowled at him, "Just go away, I'm fine by myself"

With a small inclination of his head Thom walked away from Masaru and towards his own supplies. He took a look back at him and walked on into Boncho's tent.

/

The sun always rises earlier in the snowy landscape of the North Pole and Akeme wasn't used to this fact as she forced herself out of bed and downstairs into the small living area, Atka was already up and tucking into a bowl of soup. As he noticed her come into the room he got up and poured out another bowl for her to eat.

"Morning" he said quietly as she sat down.

Akeme yawned, "Morning" she took a sip of the steaming soup, carefully blowing on it to ensure she didn't burn her mouth, "So what's the plan today? You going to talk to the chief again?"

Atka looked down slightly, "I don't think so, I have to talk to Aang before I do anything else"

"You have to talk to the chief though! It's important!" Akeme leant over the table to make her point.

Atka groaned, "I know, just give me a chance ok. That Hotuk guy said we have to make an appointment with the chief anyway, he clearly doesn't want to talk to us…" Atka finished his soup and stood up, he was fully dressed.

"Are you going somewhere?" Akeme asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Just for a walk, I've never been to the Northern Tribe before and I may not get another chance to see the sights" Atka replied before he slipped on his thick blue coat and walked out of the house. He called back in, "I'll be down at the harbour in about half an hour if you want to meet me!"

The road their house was situated on was long and wide with the palace courtyard above it. Atka followed the road along as it led to the much larger central road that ran the length of the city, from the harbour to the palace.

Atka walked down the long sloping road and observed the locations of the city from it, mostly nondescript residential areas for the richer members of the tribe. The architecture was consistent throughout the city and Atka didn't feel compelled by it like he did in his own tribe and in the Fire Nation. He briskly walked on towards the harbour.

The numbers of ships in dock surprised Atka; many of them were traditional twin hulled ships that were common in the North. They were powered by sail and were amongst the fastest vessels in the world. But there was more in the docks than sail powered craft, to Atka's left was a large metal-clad ship. It looked half built but a clear shape was taking place, with twin hulls being a major feature. It was smaller in size than the Fire Navy ships and lacked a tall conning tower at the back, instead it boasted a more central and shorter command tower. Atka also noted the place it was positioned, the dry dock it was sat in was right up against the sheer icy cliff face in such a way that it would be impossible to see if you were entering the city from the ocean.

Intrigued, Atka spotted a nearby docker who was tidying up some rope. He was tall with a chiselled jawline and ruddy face.

"Excuse me!" Atka called as he walked towards him.

The docker turned around, "Yeah?" he replied in a gruff voice.

"I don't suppose you could tell me what that ship is could you?" Atka pointed across towards it.

Scratching his chin the docker explained, "That's the _Princess Yue,_ first in a brand new line of Cruisers for the Northern Tribe". He put down the rope he was rolling up and continued, "State of the art apparently, not even the Fire Nation have something this advanced!"

Atka narrowed his eyes slightly, "What's it for though? Is it a warship?" he asked

The docker shook his head, "Purely for pleasure apparently, I'm hearing that the chief's grown tired of sail powered craft and wants something with a bit more speed to kill" he scratched his chin again.

With a quick nod and farewell Atka left the docker to get on with his work and instead made his way to the commercial port on the opposite side of the harbour. This port housed the traders, fishing ships and pleasure craft of the North Pole's population; it was also where Atka and Akeme's ship was docked.

The sun was now at its highest point in the sky and Atka decided to wait by their ship until Akeme made her way down to meet him. The Southern style design of the ship made it stand out amongst the others so it was easily located. But further along the dock something caught Atka's eye, one more Southern ship, slightly larger than his own. Doing a double take, he cautiously walked down the dock towards them; he hadn't noticed it the night before so it must have arrived later on in the evening or maybe even earlier this very morning.

As he walked closer Atka noticed something on a blue flag that flew atop the central mast, a symbol that Atka immediately recognised. Breaking into a wide smile he sped towards the two ships to investigate further and confirm his suspicions. There were muffled voices coming from inside one of the ships but it wasn't clear enough for Atka to recognise any of them. Just as he was about to climb aboard the ship he heard the sound of a hatch opening and footsteps climbing up out of it.

They were turned away from Atka but he recognised the voice immediately, "Just pass me the baskets and I'll go down to the market", they said. It was a female voice and Atka's grinned widened.

He spoke, "Hello Ri-Ri…"

The girl twitched, "Ishak! I told you not to…." she turned around and her jaw dropped, "No…Atka? What are you doing here!" her voice stuttered and she put her hand over her mouth.

Atka jumped aboard the ship and gave his friend a hug, "Its so good to see you again!" he exclaimed.

There was some disturbance below deck as more people moved up the stairs to see what the fuss was all about.

"Is everything ok…" one person started, another girl. "Atka!?" she continued in shock.

Glancing over Rilu's shoulder, Atka saw that it was Hanna who had just spoken. She rushed over to hug him and Atka made sure to return it. A third person had followed her up the stairs, a blond haired male who Atka did recognise.

"Atka?" he said, "It's been a while!" he walked up to give him a quick pat on the shoulder.

With a curt nod Atka responded, "Arluk, it's good to see you". He was curious as to what he was doing there.

Turning to his two friends he smiled with a sense of delight and surprise. It felt like forever since he had seen either of them and he was desperate to catch up with them.

"It's amazing to see you both again!" Atka said, "Is Ishak with you?"

Hanna smiled, "Well he has family up here so he went to see them a bit earlier on this morning"

Rilu continued, "He's been as unbearable as ever!" she said with a smile and a laugh.

Knowingly, Atka returned the laugh, "That doesn't surprise me! Any idea when he'll be coming back?" he asked

Rilu shrugged her shoulders, "Hopefully soon, he's been out a while…"

"He'll be so happy to see you!" Hanna interjected

Atka glanced up to see Arluk disappear below deck, the hatch slamming closed as he did so.

"So what are you doing here?" Atka asked

It was Rilu who replied, "Well Chief Sokka sent us up here to try and convince the North to join up with this 'alliance' that's being formed. I'm guessing you got sent up here for the same reason?"

Atka nodded, "Roku asked me to talk to the chief, as well as some other things…"

"What other things?" Rilu asked

"I have to talk to Avatar Aang" he said in a low voice.

Hanna looked at him, slightly confused, "What do you mean? Aang's dead isn't he?"

"Of course he is, but when I was in the Fire Nation he talked to me and told me to come here" Atka said back.

It was Rilu's turn to be confused, "Couldn't he have told you then what he wants to say now?" she asked.

Atka shrugged, "All I know is that I have to find a way of contacting him and, somehow, that meant coming to the North Pole"

"Do you know why here?" Hanna asked

After spending a moment thinking, Atka replied, "There must be somewhere with a lot of spiritual energy here, I cant think of any other reason"

Then, with a yelp of realisation, Hanna spoke, "The Spirit Oasis!" she said loudly, "It must be the Spirit Oasis!"

Both Rilu and Atka looked at her with a hint of confusion, they were unaware of the Spirit Oasis.

Hanna tutted, "Didn't you listen in our history classes at school?"

"I hated history!" Atka replied.

Sighing, Hanna continued, "The Spirit Oasis is a sacred place in the Northern Water Tribe, it's one of the most spiritual places in the world! It's the perfect place for entering the Spirit World and talking to Avatar Aang!"

A grin slowly made its way onto Atka's face, as everything appeared to fall into place. He finally dawned on him that the journey wouldn't be entirely wasted.

"What are you doing here?" a voice said from behind Atka, on the dock. He turned around to see a familiar face gawping up at him.

Beaming, Atka exclaimed, "Ishak!" he jumped on onto the dock to give his friend a hug, "Long time no see!"

Ishak still stood with a shocked expression on his face as he struggled to find words. "I'll ask again, what are you doing here?" he said blankly.

Atka laughed, "The same reason as you, up to a point"

Still slightly stunned, Ishak took a step back and breathed in, "Ok…" he was silent for the next few moments until, "You don't know how happy I am to see you!" he shouted, "So come on then mighty Avatar! I want to see some glowy-four-elements action!" he punched the air to simulate the various bending styles.

The two girls on the boat laughed and quietly spoke to each other before Rilu addressed Atka directly, "As you can see, he hasn't changed while you've been away!"

Atka glanced back in acknowledgement before turning to Ishak again, "I'm not quite at four elements yet, only three!"

Undeterred, Ishak persisted, "Three's good enough! Come on just a quick piece fire throwing will be fine!"

"Maybe later!" Atka said before giving Ishak another quick hug. After releasing Ishak, Atka stepped back and addressed the rest of the group, "So do you guys have a plan for your time up here?" he asked.

The three Moon Guardians looked searchingly at each other and it was Rilu who spoke for them, "Well to be honest we weren't even expecting to be let in, four other boats have been sent up here before us and all were turned away".

Hanna continued, "We're going to talk to the chief tomorrow and see what he says"

"I've already spoken to the chief" Atka responded, with a hint of distaste.

Rilu perked up, "And? What did he say?" she asked

Atka looked at her squarely, "He doesn't care, he doesn't want anything to do with us…"

The three Moon Guardians looked at each other and silently thought to themselves for a few moments.

It was Ishak who spoke first, "Lets just try, we've been let into the North Pole so lets at least try and make it worthwhile"

Hanna and Rilu nodded in agreement. From within the ship, Arluk opened the hatch and joined them on the dock.

"Do we have a plan for today then?" he asked

Rilu answered, "Yes, we're going to talk with the chief, just as we planned before"

Arluk nodded, "I'm going down to the market, I'll meet you guys back here later then". With that, he left.

Atka starred after him for a while before addressing the others, "So, what exactly is Arluk doing here?" he asked.

The three Moon Guardians looked worryingly at each other before speaking.

"Well…" Rilu started, "He's sort of your replacement…"

Ishak forced out a smile, "Not that we could ever replace you of course!"

Atka laughed, "Don't worry about it! I know how these things work. You needed a four man crew and he was available, no hard feelings!"

The three sighed with relief, "That's good!" Hanna said. "Anyway, are you going to come to the palace with us?" she asked.

"I don't know… I have to go to the Spirit Oasis I guess, that's important at the moment" Atka replied. "I'll have to asked Akeme what she wants to do…"

Rilu raised an eyebrow, "Who's Akeme?" she asked inquisitively.

Ishak scratched his chin, "I think I recognise that name…"

It was Hanna who clicked first, "You don't mean Princess Akeme do you?" she asked, slightly shocked. "From the Fire Nation?"

Atka smiled, "Yep, she came out here to try and sway the chief into joining us"

"Why did you bring her though?" Rilu asked

"She wanted to come" Atka replied, "Anything wrong with that?" he asked.

Rilu shrugged, "Not at all, I'm just curious that's all…" She then looked away from Atka and went back aboard the ship.

"Is she ok?" Atka asked

Hanna replied, "Why wouldn't she be?" she then followed Rilu onto the ship.

Ishak looked at Atka, "I have stuff to do, it's been great to see you again!" he gave Atka a playful punch on the arm, "We'll find you on the way to the palace so you can come in with us" he quickly jumped back onto the ship, leaving Atka alone on the dock.

Ruefully smiling he turned back and walked towards the central avenue and back towards the house.

/

The weather had taken a turn for the worse as Boncho's squad marched on, their destination still unknown to Masaru. The atmosphere had been frosty within the group following his outburst the previous day, even Thom wasn't talking to him and Masaru was left at the back of the marching party.

Wind and rain battered the group but the pace was as quick as ever, the soldier's discipline was something to be admired indeed. But it wasn't long before Boncho stopped the group, ordering them to gather around him.

"Men, we are closing in on the target and should be there within three hours. This area is full of Earth Kingdom soldiers so we must be wary, our uniforms will only go so far in terms of cover so we're going to get off this path and continue through the woods here. I want you all to get rid of your large packs and only carry essential items, rations, your first aid kits, stuff like that. Bury the packs, if we come back this way then you can pick then up again. You are dismissed, get to it". Boncho spoke with authority and the soldiers immediately responded to what he had to say.

Masaru took his pack off and started to take things off it, starting with his sleeping bag. Boncho walked up to him, Masaru quickly stood up.

"Masaru" he started, "May I speak with you?" he took him to a spot away from the group.

"What is it sir?" Masaru asked.

Boncho looked squarely at him, "I'd just like to apologise for everything that's happened out here, but I'd just like you to understand why I haven't told you anything"

Masaru looked away slightly, "It's fine, I realise I'm not exactly made up for this sort of thing…"

"On the contrary, I actually think you've done very well" Boncho responded.

With surprise, Masaru looked back at him, "What do you mean sir?" he asked.

Boncho smiled slightly, "You could have left us at any point and gone straight back home. You're made of stronger stuff than you give yourself credit for and I applaud you for that"

Masaru smiled with pride and looked down, "Thank you…" he said.

"Now I have something to ask you" Boncho spoke sincerely.

"What is it sir?" Masaru asked.

Boncho inhaled, "Our mission involves breaking into the Earth Kingdom's highest security prison, Jianyu. There is a high value individual inside there that we want to get out. We have a plan to break in but it's risky and is based on rather sketchy evidence" he said.

Masaru asked, "How does this involve me?"

"Well, we need a distraction" Boncho said bluntly.

Masaru was shocked, "I'm the distraction! Is that why you haven't told me anything?" he raised his voice.

Boncho waved his hands, "No, no, no. You're not the distraction, not personally anyway", He took a small ball out of his pocket at the top of which was a piece of string, it was a bomb. "You're going to cause the distraction". He grinned. "The reason I didn't tell you is because I wasn't sure you could handle it, and you've proved to me that you can"

"I see…" Masaru said, taking the bomb from Boncho. "So you're going to set these up along the wall, I light them, the guards come to investigate and you rush in unnoticed" He grinned too, "Brilliant!"

"I'm glad you agree!" Boncho said, "Empty your pack but don't bury it, I'm going to give you the explosives, Thom will go with you to the wall to help set them up".

Masaru nodded but still had one more question, "Who is it we're breaking out?" he asked.

Boncho looked at him, "I guess you should know…its General Bumi"


End file.
